3 inspiring business lessons from Disney

1. Ask the question "Why?"

If you have children or you just often communicate with them (or remember yourself as a child), you, of course, know the most favorite children's question - "Why?" Adults ask it much less often. We are used to relying on facts and hard data, which is good in itself. But our competitors have the same information. How, then, to build a business strategy to achieve more? Try asking the question “Why?” More often.

Let's analyze, for example, why a person often visits the same restaurant:

Why do you go to your favorite restaurant? “It's conveniently located and has good food.
Why do you like this food? - It's tasty and inexpensive.
But why do you choose this particular restaurant if there are many similar establishments nearby? - Good service here.
Why do you like the service? - You are treated in such a way that it immediately becomes good.
Why does this treatment make you feel good? - The restaurant manager remembers you by name and greets you with a smile. The waiters never rush and sincerely ask how your day went. Some even know your usual order.
Why does it keep you coming back to this restaurant over and over again? - Here you almost feel like a member of the family, which is a rarity today.

Asking over and over again, we saw that the reason for the love of the place depends not so much on the specific dishes or the price, but on how you feel in this place. In whatever field you work, your customers and their feelings should be most important to you. And the question "Why?" help you better understand them.

2. Engage alpha brain waves

“If new incentives don't come in, there won't be new ideas,” said Duncan Wardle, former head of innovation and creativity at the Walt Disney Company, repeatedly. This is true. Doing the same things over and over again prevents yourself from coming up with new ideas.

Try changing your routine and using the alpha brain rhythm in the process. Brain waves of this type are characteristic of the calm state of wakefulness. Scientists have shown that they are associated with increased levels of creativity.

Brilliant ideas often come to mind when we are relaxed: in the bathroom, on a walk, while meditating or exercising.

During the working day, there is often no time to just breathe calmly, let alone plunge into the alpha rhythm. Try to change this. For example, at Google, employees can spend 20% of their time thinking, resulting in Gmail, AdSense, and Google News.

Create a work environment in which alpha waves can be used. For example, replace the weekly meeting of all team members with joint training or meditation. If this is too radical for you, at least include music in meetings. In general, treat them more like a conversation than a formal presentation of ideas.

3. Remember that every person has creativity

Leaders often make the mistake of thinking that creativity is the exclusive domain of the creative department. But everyone has such potential. It's just that suitable conditions are needed for its disclosure.

Change your office design … Create a space where people from different departments can accidentally meet each other and strike up a conversation. It is in these spontaneous conversations that new ideas are often born.
Change your understanding of a "good" idea … Do not dismiss someone's suggestions, no matter how strange they may seem at first glance. Even if a person's current idea is not very good, the next one might turn out to be brilliant. If you criticize her right away, next time he won't share his thoughts at all.
Change your mindset … Don't think that the leadership or the creative department is more creative than everyone else on the team. Employee potential grows when a company has a culture of mutual assistance and support and people see each other as equal.

Technology + Creativity = Magic

With the advancement of artificial intelligence, millions of jobs will be automated. But the value of creativity will grow. This is the very ingredient that is necessary not only for your brand to make some kind of breakthrough, but also for it to survive after.

Now is the time to support and invest in your team's ingenuity so that you can work magic together in the future. As Walt Disney said: “You can design and create and create the most amazing place in the world. But to make a dream come true, people are needed."